


Don't Wear Your Heart On Your Sleeve

by orphan_account



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Angst, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2016-06-27
Packaged: 2018-07-18 17:38:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7324417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Link reveals a secret he kept hidden for too long. If he tells Rhett his real feelings for him, he risks damaging a friendship that has lasted for nearly his whole life. What happens after the point of no return?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't Wear Your Heart On Your Sleeve

Link was a bright, good kid in his childhood. The only dark spot being sent to in-school detention for writing words like "ass" and "hell" on notes he wrote to Rhett during class. When he heard that same boy, now so much older and bigger, tell him he wanted to talk in private, Link felt the same way he did when Mrs. Locklear sat them both down to ask what the meaning of the notes were. Rhett loomed over him, arms crossed, with a hardened expression, giving him vivid memories of that day and making him feel so small. "Is somethin' going on that you're not tellin' me?" Rhett asked a question he knew the answer to. Another thing he knew: Link would say no. 

"No... What d'ya mean? Nothing's goin' on, man," he responded, shoulders hunched over, and hands stuck deep inside his pockets. 

"You sure? 'Cause I know how you act, Link, and you haven't been yourself these past few days. I'd say a week, even. Tell me why, bo," Rhett tried again to squeeze a response out of his friend, his best friend. There were so many uncertainties clogging up Link's brain in that moment. He was sure that he could dismiss Rhett's whole theory and keep his thoughts to himself like he had done for years. On the other hand, he hoped that he didn't have to. After thirty years, Link knew that he could reveal how he felt with low risk. Was Rhett willing to end his career because of anything Link could possibly say? Or end a friendship that he was emotionally dependent on? Was Link selfish to think that he meant this much to Rhett? Maybe. 

"My feelings for you are making this really hard for me," Link said, surprising himself. His mouth began speaking before his brain was finished thinking, which, frankly, happened much more often than he liked. 

"What feelings?" Rhett asked. Upon the second time making direct eye contact with Rhett, Link finally snapped himself out of the idea that he had something to be afraid of. He has looked into those eyes many, many times over the years and they have always brought him a sense of ease. Nothing could make Rhett hate him. That he was sure of. 

"I love you, Rhett... In every sense of the word you or I could think of," Link went on to explain. "I've felt things for you ever since we were in high school, man. Ever since we were kids. Sometimes I wonder if it's just because you're a really good friend, but it's not," he said, looking up with a puppy dog expression, begging Rhett not to get angry. 

"So, I'm not a good friend? Link, I don't understand you right now," Rhett spoke, turning and pacing around their private office, unable to look at Link's face with the way blood rushed to his cheeks. 

"Obviously not," Link said, "I mean, you're more than a friend to me. I seriously don't know how I could live without you because you mean so much to me. You know, I keep thinking about that over and over, and I've realized that... Well, that's not friendship. It's more than that. I'm not sure what, but," he sighed, not knowing how to finish his thought and not minding just leaving it at that. 

Thought after thought raced inside of Rhett's brain and Link could tell. "Don't just stare at me, man. Say something!" Link yelled exasperatedly. 

"You said you felt this way since we were kids?" Rhett asked, not believing what he heard and feeling like he should be sitting down for this. Looking at the man sitting idly there made Link extremely confused because it was unusual for him not to know what Rhett was thinking. There were cues that made it really easy. When Rhett rubbed his hands on something, like his shirt or pants, he was really excited. When he slapped Link's chest and shouted his name, that meant he just thought of a brilliant idea. When he folded his arms and scrunched his face up, he was blisteringly angry. What Rhett was doing now made no sense to Link because he wasn't doing anything but sitting still. Finally, Link gave his answer - yes - which prompted signs of anger from his best friend. 

"Well, why didn't you say anything before Neal? 20 or 30 something years gone by and you haven't said a word to me about this until now?" he asked, yelling. He stood up and loomed over Link again. Link didn't want Rhett looking down at him like he was doing now, so he took a couple steps back. 

"You goddamn know why, Rhett! When I was 8 years old, playing around with GI Joes, sticking my fingers up my nose, and admiring you, all you were doing is gabbing on and on about your crushes, Holly, Suzy, Rebecca, who-knows-who-else! Growing up you were my only male friend. All my other friends were girls, my mom would always tell her friends I was a 'ladies man' just because I was being a nice kid! I couldn't like you the same way you liked all those girls, Rhett. I wasn't allowed to!" Link couldn't remember when this turned into a fight or when hot tears began stinging his eyes. Immediately, he felt that he had made a mistake. The real Link would never admit such an enormous secret to anyone, his anxiety would have made it impossible, but Rhett always worked to settle his nerves and help him think more optimistically. Today, that was the wrong thing to do. 

"I should have never said anythin' to you," Link said regrettably, turning his back away from Rhett so he wouldn't see him cry. "Forget what I said. It don't matter anymore," he stated before walking forward out of the office in search of the bathroom so he could wipe his face and calm down. Before he stepped a foot out of the door, he heard Rhett say his name, but he didn't pay attention to him. Instead, he went in the direction of Stevie and Drew's office, glad that he heard no footsteps behind him. 

"Drew," he said, once he walked in the room. Both crew members were silently scrolling down webpages and typing away at their keyboards, most likely getting a lot of work and research done for an upcoming episode of Good Mythical Morning. Link hoped he hadn't interrupted them while they were in the theoretical show producing zone. "Eddie and Lizzie want to run somethin' by you," he lied, stepping slightly out of the doorway to make room for Drew to leave the room. He much rather would like to talk to Stevie alone about his problems, as she was more than an employee to him, and maybe she had thoughtful insight on the matter. 

With an affirmative nod, Drew saved all the documents he had open and walked out. As he passed by, Link took a second for one last sniffle to compose himself. Telling by the body language and nasally voice, Stevie knew something was wrong with Link that made him upset, so she too closed down her computer and swiveled her chair in his direction to make herself accessible. "What's up, Link?" She asked in the most reassuring voice that she had, comforting him. 

"I told Rhett today, told 'im that I love him," he explained, sitting on a lounge chair beside her and frowning. Stevie had been the person who, last year, Link approached about his sexuality and, consequently, his feelings for Rhett. Of course, his wife knew, in fact he told Christy about his mixed up feelings over ten years ago because he was sure that she loved him and wouldn't shun him for it. All in all, he simply didn't like keeping secrets from Christy and since he didn't feel like he could do anything about the way he felt back then, he didn't think it would do any harm to tell her. Last year, he had chosen to tell Stevie too because, considering they were in the same position, he figured she could help. 

Obviously, Link knew that it was okay for him to be attracted to men or people of other genders in the same way that he was attracted to women. Being in California for so long made him sure of that, it's just that sometimes he happened to forget it, but Stevie helped remind him of that when he had trouble. Before then, even though Christy tried telling him that his sexuality didn't affect their marriage or mean that he was a sinner, simply for thinking about other genders that way, he didn't believe it. The reason being that Christy was the only one who told him that, everyone else disagreed, everyone else said it was unnatural and unholy. Link had been stifling himself for so long, hiding how he really felt to the world because he didn't want to be ashamed of himself. 

Stevie didn't know that Link was taking such a major step and she honestly never thought that he would. Yes, Link loved Rhett enormously, with all of his soul, but he also loved Christy... She was enough for him, wasn't she? "How did he react?" she asked, expecting the answer wouldn't be pretty. 

"He was real quiet at first, but then he started yellin' at me, tellin' me I should've told 'im sooner than I did," Link moaned, putting his head in his hands and rubbing in his eyes. "But I couldn't have, I couldn't have told him... I couldn't have," he repeated, breathing heavily, voice shaking. 

"Link, don't feel sorry for yourself, okay? You've got nothing to feel guilty about whether Rhett says you do or not. It's not right for him to get angry over that, you had to tell him on your terms, not anyone else's," she explained evenly. Everything she said made total sense. 

"Yeah, but then I yelled back at 'im too. I got so mad at 'im and I walked out on 'im, didn't even give 'im a chance to say another word. It's my fault, I shouldn't've said nothing. My fault that I started a fight with him," he groaned sadly. He hated being in fights with Rhett, real fights like this one. 

"He yelled first, Link. He instigated a fight and it's his fault. Fuck him," she said carelessly. In no other scenario would she ever fuck off one of her bosses in front of her other boss, but now that Link was on the brink of tears and needed some comfort, she thought he would appreciate the sympathy. On one hand, Link would agree, but on another he couldn't because he didn't feel any anger left at this point. No amount of fucking off Rhett would make him feel less rejected and depressed. Link didn't say anything, so Stevie continued, "I don't think you should just let this go. Maybe initially it was difficult to get your emotions out, but you just sit on the situation for a day, maybe two, and let Rhett do the same. Once you both have thought things through more, it'll be better for you," she reassured him with a gentle pat on the shoulder. 

Link had no other choice, but to trust Stevie. The thought of facing Rhett again at this point was unbearable, but his feelings weren't as important as the empire he built with Rhett. A few hours and a long night's rest might make it easier to forgive him, something he knew he ultimately would have to do. "Thanks for consolin' me," he said, cracking half a smile. "Oh, and Stevie, do you mind takin' him home today? You and Cassie can get off early today, just get 'im outta here," he replied sadly. With a wave of his hand, Stevie dismissed herself from the conversation, then went to find Cassie and Rhett. 

In the truest part of Link's heart, he was deeply afraid of what Rhett would think. If he didn't feel the same way, then Link had not one clue what he would do. Things would surely change. How could life continue normally now that Rhett knew Link was utterly, hopelessly in love with him? That he has been for all of these years? This kind of thing was as impossible to ignore as it was difficult to get out.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. I will try to update frequently!


End file.
